Riverdale
2017
Original language: English
- crime
- drama
- mystery
The story
Set in the present, the series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica and their friends, exploring the surreality of small-town life, the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade.
What it’s like
Saturated, almost candy-coloured frames: primary reds in letterman jackets and diner booths, deep teal and midnight blue for the lake and night streets, with a glossy, high-contrast digital finish that makes every surface look slightly too clean. Interiors glow under warm practical lamps and neon diner signs, while exteriors lean on overcast daylight and fog rolling off the water, so the town feels cozy and sinister in the same breath. Camera work is mobile and stylised, with dolly pushes, sharp cuts and voiceover-driven montages set to a pop-rock and synth soundtrack that swells at every reveal. Pacing is brisk and cliffhanger-driven, the kind of show you binge across a weekend or put on in the background while folding laundry, though the melodrama rewards close attention. Its emotional register is teen soap with noir undercurrents: knotted romances, friendships under strain, and characters slowly peeling back their own pretty surfaces. Violence and death appear regularly, with shootings, stabbings and murder scenes shown on screen but usually framed more as shock than gore; sexual content and drug use are present and frank, with some cruelty and psychological manipulation throughout. It suits viewers who want campy, twisty small-town mystery with a lush, moody look and don't mind a sensational streak.
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